No One Here But Us Waterbenders
by 123cosmo4
Summary: Zuko tries to pick up bending tips from Katara and she ends up bringing up personal problems.


Blank

"Well, I'm off to get some more lychee nuts," Aang announced brightly. "Be back whenever."

Aang was preparing to leave the gang. Sokka looked up from tossing a coin and Toph and Katara looked up from their game of Four Nations. Nothing exciting was happening so when Aang announced going deeper into the Western Air Temple to find Lychee nuts, it was the most exciting news they heard all day. It was Katara's move. She thought carefully and pretended to be absorbed in the game and that failed when Toph shot up quickly.

"I'll go with you!" she volunteered quickly and then turned to Katara, staring into her blue eyes with her sightless stare. "You're no good at Four Nations, no offense friend."

"I'm better than-" Katara stopped herself with a sigh when Toph bolted off to Aang who seemed delighted by her presence.

"I'm blowing this dump too," Sokka said in an aloof way and joined them. Momo attacked Sokka's coin when it clanked on the ground.

"Do you want to come, Katara?" Aang offered kindly.

Truthfully, Katara did want to go. She wanted to be with Aang doing mindless searching and wasting time, but it just wouldn't be any fun with Toph and Sokka tagging along. She tried to hide her disappointment and picked up the Four Nations board like it was really important.

"You have fun," she replied and forced a smile. "I'll just stay here and maybe practice some waterbending while you are gone."

"Okay," Toph said quickly before Aang could insist. "Come on!"

Aang glanced at Katara one last time before following Toph down the rocky slope of the Air Temple. They didn't look back as they tried to race. Sokka trailed behind because of lack of bending while Toph took the lead. Katara watched them go until they disappeared completely. She put the game away and decided to try some waterbending moves. Whenever she was bored, she could always do something beneficial like waterbending. She stood up and stretched. It was also nice to have a little alone time. She could do whatever she wanted without slightly eyes watching or controlling her day. She had no cooking or cleaning to do, just solid waterbending without anyone else watching.

Katara's waterbending was really something that was fascinating to watch. It wasn't just bending, it was life and magic. When she pulled water to her command, it was blissfully and she was just leading the water, not commanding it. It followed the gentle movement of her fingers and softly fell back into the pool. She made a wave with the water by straightening her body and lifting her arms patiently with the water and it rose just like she wanted. It seemed like the water would do anything for her because she was like a gently friend to it. In battle, she could use this technique to turn her opponent's energy against them.

It was the opposite from firebending in every way.

Zuko watched Katara from a distance, making sure she could not see him. This was something he often did and no one else from the team knew, not even Katara. She didn't know it, but she was being a great waterbending teacher. Of course a firebender could never literally waterbend, but he could use the use of waterbending forms to improve firebending. That was how lightingbending was invented and it proved to be useful.

Katara moved the water carefully and Zuko copied her, feeling very relaxed and calm. No wonder she looked so blissful and calm while bending. She began to push and pull water, stepping back and forward…back again until it moved with her motions. Every detailed action mattered, even flexing her fingers at the right time. Zuko copied her again without any fire, but it was all in the technique of shifting weight. That was how waterbenders turned their opponent's energy against them. Every movement helped the water move along instead, unlike firebending. For years Zuko had been slinging fire around everywhere, torching everything and feeling hatred and ambition. This was a new kind of bending.

Down by the water, Katara continued to push and pull the water. Her fingers began to shake and her little wave got a little trembly. She knew she wasn't just waterbending, she knew that someone was observing her. Every time she practiced alone, she felt safe and secure, but then later on she had this gut feeling that she was being observed. She had a pretty good idea who was watching her and she blushed at the thought and it made waterbending hard.

It was obviously Aang.

Why would Aang be so shy to learn from a distance, she did not know, but it gave her butterflies. Aang didn't really go to get Lychee nuts, he was watching her and she felt sweet like candy. Aang was her perfect match without question and he loved to watch her. She didn't want to be watched though, she wanted him to come out so maybe he could say something nice to her and have that bright expression and go lucky attitude. It sounded great, but how could she convince Aang to come out?

_Keep it together, Katara,_ she thought._ Aang is still your best friend so don't be shy._

She wasn't quite sure where Aang was, but she threw up some mist for cover and disappeared into the woods to find him.

Zuko was confused why Katara practiced making mist. All it did was cloud the air and make it hard to breathe. As the mist cleared, he noticed she wasn't there by the pool anymore. He froze and didn't make a sound. Where was she? She could be anywhere by now.

"Aang!" she called from barely a few yards away.

Zuko jumped back against the boulder he used for cover, but it was too late. Katara jumped over the rock and saw him. At first her expression was very happy and excited, but that suddenly turned into disappointment and she looked crestfallen. They stared into each other's eyes for a second before Katara looked away. She sighed and just said…nothing. Zuko was so confused. He had never seen Katara so different. He at least expected her to pin him against the rock with ice shards and then yell at him with enough fury to make him shy away. She was so disappointed…over what though?

"You're not Aang," she said dully.

Zuko's golden eyes narrowed. "Of course I'm not Aang… Did you think I was?"

Katara was caught between a rock and a hard spot. "Yes," she answered truthfully. "I did. So…you have been watching me all this time?"

There was enough room in that hard spot for one more. "Er...yes," he replied calmly. "I am trying to see if waterbending technique works with firebending."

"You are…Okay."

"You're not going to yell at me or anything?" he confirmed with silent relief.

"No," she answered. "Not today. You watch me all the time?"

"…Yes," he admitted. "I guess I just figured I could learn a few things from you. It just seemed a little strange for you to know what I was doing."

"Well, I still don't get it." Katara suddenly raised her hand and pulled water out of thin air and then stared at it like it was a treasure. "I doubt firebenders can learn waterbending."

"I don't want to be a waterbender," Zuko said assertively, like it was an insult. "I just want to discover new kinds of firebending."

Katara nodded with understanding, She still didn't seem very interested in her spy though. She started to head back to the pool of water and signaled him to follow with her hand. He followed.

"Where are we going?"he asked.

She looked back and then slowed down so they were side by side. "You wanted to learn waterbending, in a way, didn't you?"

"You seriously want to teach me."

"Sure," she decided nicely.

Zuko wouldn't let her slip out of this past event so easily. "So what do you have going on with Aang? You seem very distracted…like you really wanted me to be Aang."

"Um… Well, it is…complicated. We're on the same scroll, right?"

Zuko just blinked with confusion. Katara sighed and made a waterball to keep herself distracted on something. Was she really about to say everything to her ex-enemy? She brought herself this far and decided to fall through with it. He wasn't really the type that would announce her thoughts to the whole world, the fire nation, or even worse: Aang. She tried to think of a way that he would understand.

"When you and Aang went to the Sun Warriors civilization, did Aang ever mention me? Like… you know, me? Oh…" The waterball splashed back into the pool. "That came out so wrong."

"No."

"What?" she asked.

"No," Zuko repeated. "Why do you think Aang would mention you? I really don't think you know about firebending."

"Then it's official," she mumbled. "I am getting a little ahead of myself."

She started to push and pull the water, a little rougher than usual. She looked up at Zuko and continued to push water. He was too concerned about Katara's words that he didn't pick up the hint until she stopped, looking annoyed.

"Get it now?" she pressed less gently.

"Oh, sure."

With hesitation, he began to copy Katara and then added a little fire. Over the water, a little wave of fire appeared instead of water. IT was very small and went out after a few moments.

"So you like Aang?" he pursued and Katara froze. "Actually, I'm not surprised."

"Actually, I am," Katara admitted. "I am very surprised."

"Why?"

"I just had this feeling that Aang really liked me. IT sounds a little crazy, but I just like that feeling. I just like knowing that Aang possibly likes me."

"Your water is too rough," Zuko pointed out.

Katara attempted to make more waves, but it crashed down so hard every time that it made white water. Her eye twitched with anger and she stopped again.

"So you're a waterbender now, I see," she growled. "I had no idea."

"I am not telling you how to waterbend, but I am just saying that you are very aggravated about something," he said innocently. "I know your problem. If you feel like that around Aang, I think you should look a little more…blissful, you know? You seem worked up."

"Okay, maybe I was a little rough," she agreed and gave another dreary sigh. "Not just with waterbending, but with you. It is because you are right I think. When I think of Aang really liking me, it is just kind of exciting to know that, but now that thought just disappeared. I don't really feel that way anymore knowing that Aang doesn't really like me."

"I would say something helpful, but I don't really know anything about your relationship."

Katara suddenly perked up a little with a new helpful thought. "Maybe you can council me. Well, tell me what you think about Mai."

"Mai…" Katara was watching him with pleading eager eyes, such big blue eyes that couldn't hide any feelings. He compared them to Mai's amber eyes that never showed anything. Katara was an open book. He tried to think of a detailed answer to please her. Zuko knew that Mai was absolutely crazy over him and he liked all that positive attention compared to three years of being alone and feeling abandoned. When he thought of her right now though, he felt nothing, not even a little butterfly. She was just like an average friend and nothing else.

"Well?" she pressed after a while. "What do you think?"

"About the same way you do I guess," he answered. "I'm telling the truth when I sat that I don't really feel anything towards Mai."

"…So you don't."

Katara looked away and seemed to be deep in thought. Zuko waited for her to say something, any answer even, but she didn't. Now would be a great time to slink away and forget this ever happened. As this great escapade formed, Katara still didn't look up. He took a silent step in the opposite direction and she still didn't notice. She looked very blissful right now so she was blind to the world. He was almost out of her sight when she reached out and yanked him back.

"Going somewhere?" she wondered, sounding very nice and not fraught with worry. "You just got here. Certainly you would like to see how a waterbender would attack, wouldn't you?"

"Um…sure," he decided, knowing that she would know he was trying to escape if he refused.

Her eyes brightened and she smiled sweetly. "Just watch me first and then try it."

Zuko watched and then started doing what she was doing. At first she was so stressed and worried and now she was so blissful that the water was so smooth it couldn't possibly do anything for attack. Whenever he messed up, she would gently point out error and then show him again until he moved around just like her, with gentle fire. She stood back and watched with pride that her student did so well. She always felt proud when Aang learned a new waterbending move, but she was feeling extra butterflies now.

It wasn't pride for her student, it was something more.


End file.
